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Most people will claim a hot shower is where they do all their best thinking. It’s probably where you come up with your most groundbreaking ideas, your think tank. A time to reflect on your day and what you have going on. At least that’s what they are for me, 20 minutes of thought as I just stand under hot water with no distractions whatsoever. Now, why on earth would you give up these relaxing, hot water think sessions?

A week ago I came across this post (read it, it’s hilarious and the man is a far better writer than I) about a life hack that was supposed to improve circulation, combat depression, strengthen immunity, increase testosterone, and increase energy. That sure sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Obviously, so I thought I’d try it out.

All it requires: 1) get in the shower, 2) turn the water to cold, and 3) last at least five minutes.

Thoughts after shower 1: Holy. Shit. Stepping out of that first shower I thought to myself, “there’s no way I’m going to be able to do this for a week straight, let alone make it a full blown habit.”

But somehow I managed to stick to it for a full week. Now I can’t say that I’ve experienced any of the long term benefits yet, but there is something pretty pleasant about the cold. For one, it sure does wake you up and gives you a little boost of energy. We all could have predicted that one. It cut my shower time down by about 15 minutes. I mean, there’s no reason to linger under cold water. You’re in, you’re out.

The most unexpected benefit was the extinction of these think sessions we’re all so used to during showers. Getting rid of these probably doesn’t sound too appealing to you. But here’s why it should be. My mind was no longer worrying and thinking over what I had to get done that day or focusing on work. It was simply, “How can I wash my body and get the hell out of here before I freeze to death?” I found that it was the short few minutes of my day where my mind was able to take a short break from whatever had been occupying it.

I would absolutely recommend switching over to the cold side. If not for any of the other suggested benefits, but at least for those few minutes of not having to think about anything. Everybody’s mind needs to chill out. Try it, comment, tell us if you’ve had a positive experience with it. If you find your mind still wandering, then the water isn’t quite cold enough.